The annual Kaw City Reunion was a heartwarming success on Sunday, May 25, 2025, despite record-setting rainfall earlier in the weekend. Just in time for the event, the skies cleared, allowing attendees to gather under fair weather and fond memories.

Old friends and classmates from years past returned to Kaw City to reconnect, reminisce, and catch up on the latest news. The museum was abuzz with stories, laughter, and shared memories that spanned generations.

A highlight of this year’s reunion was the commemorative coffee mug, which many attendees proudly purchased. All proceeds from mug sales go directly to benefit the Kaw City Museum and its efforts to preserve and share our local history.

We are grateful to everyone who came out, rain or shine, to make the 2025 Reunion such a special occasion. See you next year!

Annette Cline Pittman, long-time supporter of the Kaw City Museum, was presented with a plaque honoring and appreciating both her and her late husband Bob Cline at the 2023 Annual Open House on May 28. Bob and Annette grew up in Kaw City and were instrumental in obtaining and moving the train depot from Old Kaw City to the town’s new site in 1972, and developing it into a museum that has preserved the history of their hometown.

The Mormon Church is well-known for its vast collection of genealogy records. They have collected information since 1894 and maintain information on more than 3 billion deceased people. Recently, their researchers began looking for early information in the northern Oklahoma area and were excited to learn about Kaw City Museum and its historical records.

Years ago, workers at the Kay County Courthouse in Newkirk decided to clean house and began throwing away outdated records that were taking up needed space. Mrs. Judy Ford, a long-time Kaw City resident, proved the old adage, “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure,” is true. She gathered as many of the Kaw City tax record books as she could find that were being discarded, 113 in all, loaded them into her car and brought them to the Kaw City Museum for safe-keeping. Her quick thinking kept the historical information from being lost forever.

The Mormon’s genealogy team brought their cameras to the museum and digitize all of the tax record books along with some of the museum’s old school records. This information will be available for free to anyone who visits their library in Salt Lake City. They have also committed to provide Kaw City Museum with digital copies of the tax books.

Museum visitors view vintage Kaw City school annuals